“But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” Matthew 14:24-25

The book of Matthew in the fourteenth chapter, gives us an account of Jesus sending his disciples in a ship to cross to the other side of the mountain. However, they began to encounter extremely dangerous conditions. “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.” Matthew 14:25. Matthew wrote in the very next verse that Jesus came to them during the fourth watch of the night. The fourth watch is defined by the Roman watch as a time spanning from 3am – 6am. Someone once said that the darkest hour is just before dawn; we can imagine the mindset of the disciples during this incident. But Jesus shows up right on time! “And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”

The entire incident centers our attention on the fact that Jesus is omniscient and is always on time when we need Him. The scripture points out that the disciples were in trouble . . . dangerous conditions surrounded them; Jesus comes to them walking on the sea. Fear immediately grips their hearts because they were not aware that it was the Lord. He assures them that it is Him and to be of good cheer and not to be afraid.

A few things we can surmise from this life changing encounter the disciples experienced with the Lord:

1. Trouble will come in our lives even when we are being obedient to the will of God. Jesus sent the disciples ahead of Him on the sea to the other side. Did he not know that the storm would come? Certainly, He did. Once again, we see the manifestation of God’s glory as Jesus appears to the disciples walking on water, He assures, rescues, and gives them peace during the storm.
2. Fear of the unknown is a normal response, but faith can dominate our fears. “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4. Every child of God recognizes His voice. It brings us in to subjection to His Holy power; it is impossible to deny hearing our Saviors voice, we have the choice as to whether to obey His commands or not; but His sheep hear His voice.
3. He is omnipotent and can do the impossible. He showed up that night walking on water. This is a miraculous occurrence that is only possible with God. It gives us a glimpse at His omnipotence and ability to protect us in any situation.
4. He assures and encourages us at the same time. He commands the disciples to be of good cheer and not to be afraid because it is Him. Jesus showed up in due time… the fact is He is omnipresent and is always in our midst; our hearts can rest in assurance that He will take care of us!

The disciples learned a lesson in faith 101 that night . . . we can identify with situations in our own lives that gives witness to the faithfulness of our Great and Almighty God to come to our aide. These types of incidents are what we refer to as our “faith reports” which we can readily pull out in times of distress and indecision, God is faithful, and we can depend on Him! “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” Psalm 34:17.

Praise God today for great is His mercy towards us!